Pages

5 Mar 2015

do you journal or keep a diary?

A Hong Kong journal - in a Paper Republic notebook. On the bottom - my current journal by Martha Stewart x Avery x Staples. I originally wrote the month and year I started this journal on the spine but this was quickly replaced by a Dymo label.

Writing in my journal is something I try and do at least once a week and I use it as a means to 'brain-dump' negative thoughts, to remember things and just as a release. Life as a graduate student isn't easy - there are money issues, social life issues, life issues and just many, many other issues that I could never have predicted.

Brain dumping also ensures that some memories won't be forgotten in the future - I found myself reading my diary from when I was 16 earlier this week and I did have a laugh at how silly some 'issues' I wrote about were but that's the beauty of keeping a diary. We can look back and realise that those big issues weren't so big after all - hindsight is a wonderful thing!

My journal is also a place where I put in cinema tickets and other tickets collected from memorable events that I went to with friends. These ticket stubs would just become clutter and would otherwise end up in the bin if I didn't stick them down somewhere meaningful.

For me, journaling gives me that hour or two a week where I can purely focus on myself. It's a time that I dedicate to myself and my mind - I'm the type who can get emotionally caught up on things if I'm not careful and being a medical student, that isn't the best frame of mind to be in. I think that learning not to get too attached to patients will come with experience and I don't necessarily think that the way I am now is a problem - but it does mean that I can end up emotionally exhausted if I'm not careful. And my way to combat that is to take a step back from it all and journal.

Do you journal or keep a diary? Do you enjoy it or do you see it as a chore?

Just a sidenote: I never refer to patients in my journal by their name and I never write anything down that can make them easily identifiable.

13 comments

I love keeping a journal/diary. During chemo, it was especially helpful just to get out all the anger I felt but couldn't really express. For example, I was really angry that my friends weren't sick. I couldn't really tell them how I felt (that would be rude) but I could write about how unfair life is and have a good pout in my journal. It allowed me to feel my anger but also behave like a normal and not bitter human being.

I've been able to go back and reference that diary while I've been writing my survival guide. It's been 4 years and I'm surprised at how much I've forgotten about what I needed then. When I mentor new patients, I encourage them to keep a diary, virtual or not. They don't have to read it later but it helps to let your inner 3-year-old pout "it's not fair!" I would also mark down who gave me what gift and some of the things I was thankful for.

My journal helped me to have a sense of balance. I was going through an awful time but there were moments of goodness in there, too.

Your reasons for keeping a journal are amazing and I love how you're using your journals to help write a survival guide. It's such a selfless thing to do and much respect to you for turning what was probably quite a dark time in your life into something positive! :) Let me know if you publish your survival guide as it will undoubtedly help me gain a better insight into a patient's POV :) x

I absolutely love journaling ! I've been journaling and writing in a diary for as long as I can remember, and thankfully, having some hoarder instincts, I have my diaries even from when I was just a kid ! Now I have them lined up in chronological order in boxes in my closets ! I think it's super cool that I've been able to keep them for so long !

Also do those Dymo labels stay on? I think I'm going to start labeling my as well. Currently I'd have to flip through them to find out the time frame. Thanks ! Glad to know other people are still journaling and writing in diaries as well !

I absolutely love journaling ! I've been journaling and writing in a diary for as long as I can remember, and thankfully, having some hoarder instincts, I have my diaries even from when I was just a kid ! Now I have them lined up in chronological order in boxes in my closets ! I think it's super cool that I've been able to keep them for so long !

Also do those Dymo labels stay on? I think I'm going to start labeling my as well. Currently I'd have to flip through them to find out the time frame. Thanks ! Glad to know other people are still journaling and writing in diaries as well !

I have to keep a journal. I've tried to not - and it just doesn't work. Writing everything out just lets it out of my head...so I'm not thinking about it nearly as much. And sometimes, that's all I need to feel better.

I keep a journal now after a few years of not keeping one. I use it to document different events and for my morning pages. I really like the idea of keeping a travel journal -- I will do that next time I travel. :)

It was really fun making my travel journal :) although the photo quality isn't brilliant, it didn't matter as my memories were still captured in some way, shape or form with my poor quality photographs and notes alongside them :) x

I didn't know there was a difference.. lol. um... all I know is that I love writing my thoughts down somewhere every week. I had time to write everyday but now it has turned into once a week ritual. :)

I've been writing a journal on my laptop since 2004. Since getting ill eighteen months ago, I decided to keep a hand-written journal, which I write a page in a night before I go to sleep, just documenting how I feel and how I find ways to cope. I find writing very helpful. I think I'd be lost without all my writing outlets :)

By the way, I really love your blog. I only recently found it but it's definitely my favourite :)